31st Mar 2009, 22:37
I have a 2001 Mazda Tribute Classic, which I have had since 2005. Nice car, great to drive, but in recently months is costing me a fortune.
Did major service $500+ in November, nothing special about that - did 5Kms round trip over XMAS and car was great.
February this year, the car stopped dead and needed a new alternator - $800 later.
March (today) the car stopped dead today and the transmission is stuffed, $4500 they are quoting me.
Do I sell and buy a new car in case something else goes wrong next month?
11th Apr 2009, 22:50
To the teenager writing about the "chugging" sounds.
I have had the exact same problems you mention with my 02 Tribute. Eventually I lost all power and I had to get my catalytic converter replaced. The car still isn't the same and I may need more work. My advice to you is to make sure you have your car serviced before the problem gets worse and causes major damage. You need to make sure the O2 sensors are working properly and the transmission fluid is clean, to begin with.
8th May 2009, 10:30
May 8, 2009.
Purchased 2001 Mazda Tribute in Jan. 2003. Have had several little things go wrong; some I had to fix, others I just left alone.
Check engine light on within a year in a half. Ignored it, then to decided maybe I should look into it, I just didn't because my car ran fine. Replaced a sensor.
Next, I replaced another sensor somewhere in there, but about 2006 fall/winter the car would run very rough when started until warmed up. Spring/summer it seemed to be fine.
At 75,000 I had transmission flushed. That seemed to help with a grinding noise at and around 45-50mph that I seemed to have. When the fluid was drained it was black and the mechanic asked if I had problems because it had a burnt smell to it, the fluid going in was a red color. So ya, I guess it needed to be flushed.
Fall/winter of 2007, running rough again when I would start in the morning. Took it to a mom and pop shop I had grew up with fixing our family vehicles. They claimed that it seemed to have a vacuum leak, but they could not locate it. Took to Mazda, they said it was a sensor; left, got home, put in park and died. So immediately went back to them and told them what happened. They said I had the whole day off for them to find the problem.
I had been going to Valvoline to get my oil changed for the years I've owned the car, they had replaced my air filter maybe twice. Well that was the vacuum leak, the air filter all those years had been literally a titch too small, and didn't exactly fit because it was just an off brand, not Mazda. If only I would have known that to begin with, all the sensors maybe wouldn't have played out.
I forgot to mention that the first time I had the check engine light come on, I had diagnostic check and it said insufficient air flow to the EGR valve.
So... now the little things I have had; two inside door handles broke. One is the driver side so that had to be fixed, the other is the back seat one, that one I have not fixed since it would cost $100 to repair, so anyone who sits there is considered VIP, so I have to open the door, my 6 yr. old nephew loves that.
The sunroof broke because when you opened it, it would squawk and squeal, it needed to be greased and it broke so it stays closed, it would cost $1000 to fix, didn't fix so I just open the slider for the sun to come in from time to time.
The 6 CD player jammed, didn't fix that either because it was crazy price to replace.
Have an oil leak but not major enough to fix yet, since I had a different oil leak fixed already.
Had the air conditioner charged.
Now the newest issue is the hinges on the back glass broke, the bolts are rusted on the inside of glass and broke from the outside hinge, so apparently water is getting to them.
It's been paid off and I have 137,000 miles on it.
28th Mar 2009, 22:53
OK, first off I'm a teenager, and I have been driving a 2001 Mazda Tribute ES-V6 for over two years and it has 132,000 miles on it. We first purchased the car in 02 or 03 for my grandmother with around 50K on it, and after she passed away in 05 my dad drove it until March 07 when my brother and I received it with about 120,000. This it what I know about the car's history until I got it:
- Around 55K the speedometer or odometer went out, and Carmax fixed it by sending it to a Mazda dealer.
- Closing in around 100K, my dad hit Chevy truck from behind, messing up the front left, and now the inside makes a vibration noise.
- The fog lights lenses broke soon after that.
- The back hatch does not lock, and the back hatch window leaks after a heavy rain, and when I wash it and the window will not shut, so I have to slam it down hard every time and pray that it does not get opened.
So finally I got it and this is what happened:
- The 6 CD Player got jammed and Mazda wanted hundreds of dollars for a new one, NO THANKS, and got a 2002 one on Ebay for a like $60.00
- The back left window, the one in the cargo area, there's like a somewhat rust or watermark on the bottom where it looks like water ran off it.
- The roofrack paint is peeling badly.
- The paint of the roof looks like its popping up or something.
- The paint on the side plastic molding is beginning to come up.
- The upholstered parts of the door are coming off.
- The AC failed due to a cracked compressor.
- Took the vehicle into Mazda, and the dealer broke the driver handle and had to pay to get it fixed.
- The passenger handle broke last year and recently got that fixed ourselves.
- Now on the most troubling issue...
Well about a year ago after the A/C was broke and the Tribute sat for awhile, I started it to move it, and the car started making a chugging sound and movement, I told my dad and said it's just cause it hasn't been used in awhile...
Well that was not the end of, this past winter which starts in November in Tx, it rained and it was cold and the car started to do this HARDCORE. When I would start, it would do and as I would back out of the driveway, it would chug and shake. Well once the car warmed it up, it went away, but until then it would die when it was at a traffic light or at a stop, unless you held the brake and gave it gas. This problem occurs when it is wet, cold, and if it's wet and cold it's BAD.
Recently the car has been doing this even when its warm, for some reason when it sits at my school and I leave to go home the car sputters and chugs, but it's not too bad. To top it off recently I put it in drive and it grinded on something, and the check engine light came on, I'm afraid of what's to come... does anyone know anything about the chugging problems? They happen frequently in wet/cold or just wet conditions.